Such hand thrown sailing discs have become popular over the years, and are often thrown between multiple players on an ocean beach or the like. Such conventional sailing discs are formed of rigid molded plastic, configured like a saucer with an offset rim which facilitates grasping of the sailing disc and maintaining of the sailing disc in inverted saucer position, and when thrown with a circular rotation about the vertical axis of the disc, results in extended flight as a result of the aerodynamic form of the molded plastic sailing disc. A very popular form of solid molded plastic sailing disc, is sold under the trademark FRISBEE.RTM.. While such thin molded plastic, saucer like sailing discs, are capable of extended flight, and may be readily thrown over tens of yards outdoor, they are formed of hard plastic and cannot be used inside the home as they have a relatively uncontrolled flight and would impact against articles of furniture and particularly fragile objects such as lamps, vases etc. Further, such hard plastic inverted saucerlike, thin solid, molded plastic sailing discs are difficult to grasp by the catcher when sailing at high speed from a thrower to the catcher, and the failure to grasp the disc contributes to the inability of such sailing disc to be used indoors, particularly in a home or other furniture-filled building structure.
In recent years, there has developed a two component hook and loop releasable fastening system consisting of sheets of engageable fabric. Interengagement of the outer surfaces of these sheets is effected by one of the material sheets having a multiplicity of small, outwardly projecting flexible, filamentary loops and a second sheet having a multiplicity of small, outwardly projecting flexible filamentary hook members on facing surfaces thereof. When such sheets are pressed into contact with one another, the hook members on one sheet engage releaseably with the loops of the other sheet thereby coupling the strips or sheets together.
There is a vast variety of uses for such two component hook and loop fastening system, principally in the apparel field where, the fastening system acts as closures for closing cuffs, collars, waist bands and other areas of wearing apparel as well as closing overlapping uppers of shoes, boots and the like.
In the toy and game field, there have been applications of such two component hook and loop fastening system. Representative of such toys or games, are certain patents dealing with projectiles.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,853 is directed to a projectile used in staging a bloodless bull fight. A sheet of material having an outer surface from which projects a plurality of short length loops, is mounted to the body of the bull and forms a moving target. A banderilla projectile of some several feet, simulating a spear, takes the form of a rod, and remote from one end of the rod used as a handle for throwing of the banderilla, has, a terminal end wrapped with a sheet of flexible material, from an inner surface adhered at right angles to the end of the rod. The sheet is thus perpendicular to the rod axis. The opposite, outer surface of the sheet carries a series of outwardly projecting filamentary hooks constituting the second of a two component hook and loop fastening system.
Upon impact, of the terminal end sheet attaches by way of the hooks to the loops of the sheet borne by the bull and functioning as a target. Of course, should the banderilla miss the target area, it falls to the ground. The interlocking and adhering action due to the engagement of the hooks and the loops ensures that the raging bull cannot readily cause the dislodgement of the projectile from the target after adhering therebetween.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,161 two or more players, each grasp respective propel and catch devices in the form of a bat by way of a flexible handle made of rubber, plastic urethane or the like. The urethane handle has an outer, larger diameter tapered portion of the propel and catch device, padded and with an outer surface formed by a cover which carries one of a two component hook and loop type fastening system such as a plurality of short length of the hooks extending radially outwardly of the cover sheet material. The second of the two component loop and hook fastening system is a projectile in the form of a sphere or ball also covered by an outer cover containing the second component of the two component fastening system such as a plurality of short length loops extending radially outwards, over the entire periphery of the sphere.
The propel and catch game is played by initially attaching the ball to the bat. Upon swinging the bat, the ball is caused to leave the bat as a projectile whereby the ball is tossed towards the second player. The flexible handle causes flexing of the distal end of the propel and catch device, throwing the ball from its hook and loop attachment to the bat at a relatively high speed. The opposing player moves his propel and catch device into the path of the airborne ball, such that the loops on the outer surface of the ball or sphere, upon impact with the hooks of the second players propel and catch device. The projectile partially collapses upon contact with the propel and catch device, and adheres thereto.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,271 is directed to a target board sail game in which a large circular form target board, which may be several feet in diameter, is set up at some distance from a player armed with a number of sailing missiles which are generally on the order of three to six inches in diameter. Those sailing missiles are formed of a disc having a peripheral rim extending perpendicularly from the edge of the disc to give the missile the shape of an upwardly open pie pan with a continuous circular vertical rim. The outer surface of the rim is covered with a fabric hook tape forming one component of a two component hook and loop fastening system. The pie pan type missiles are thrown in the direction of the target board, and the target board is covered with an external layer of compacting wool, fur hair or plastic fibers in the manner of felt, which layer forms the second component of the hook and loop type fastening system. The fabric tape on the periphery of the pie pan type sailing missile maintains the periphery of the rim in contact with the face of the target aboard upon impact between the two elements of the game. The pie plate may be formed of solid molded plastic or metal.
While the patents discussed above show applications of a two component loop and hook fastening system to active games or sports in which a projectile is caused to impact against another object, the patents are not directed to the type of game components which may be readily thrown and caught interiorly of the home without great danger to furniture and other fragile objects within the vicinity of the player or players. Further, the components of the systems described are complex and costly.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved, low cost sailing disc and catch game in which the components of the game are relatively inexpensive, the game can be safely played indoors, and the missile or sailing disc thereof is light weight, soft material and presents little likelihood of damage to the furniture or objects within the building in the vicinity of the players even if hit by the disc.
These and other objects will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, considered in conjunction with the following drawings.